Foreign Affairs committee  Religious freedom is very important, but I think it's very hard to establish there. For example, they believe with those who believe in the book, whether Jews or Christians, but everything is according to the sharia. Suppose there is a family, a husband or a wife, for example, a

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, there's an urgent need. The church leaders there are saying that most important are shelter and food, and of course education and other necessities come with it.

Foreign Affairs committee  Exactly.

Foreign Affairs committee  In our church, even in the diaspora, we don't have any dialogue with Muslim communities, and even back home there are just little but at certain times ceremonies that are.... Of course the church encourages certain dialogues in order to have more reconciliation, not on the issues

Foreign Affairs committee  The assistance is coming from Canada. It has taken a very active role to provide humanitarian assistance, and there's also its recent role in the military coalition with other countries. The assistance, funding and humanitarian aid, comes from many European countries and the Uni

Foreign Affairs committee  Some at the beginning blamed the Kurdish since they have a strong foothold in certain regions close to Mosul but they withdrew and then people fled the country. As you know, there was a certain tension between the Iraqi central government and the Kurdish regarding the budget, bu

Foreign Affairs committee  The Iraqi government promises, but I think it needs the support of the international community; that was made clear, especially about the liberation of Mosul. Even in some news it speaks about certain churches in Mosul, many ancient churches, being turned into prisons by ISIS. It

Foreign Affairs committee  Canada has a big role as a democratic country, especially in the crisis in Iraq. The minorities in Iraq are small ethnic groups and are marginalized. Even after 2003, the Christian minorities have had their representatives in the central government, even in the northern region, b

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm sorry to say there are certain difficulties within the Muslim world and sometimes among Christians or other minorities about how they are second-class citizens. With the Christians it's sometimes only on paper, and nothing in practice. They will hold certain senior positions,

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, about the safe zone, most of the Christian leaders and other Christian organizations expressed on this that since the people have been deported from the city of Mosul and surrounding regions it's very hard to go back to their homes, even after the liberation. Indivi

Foreign Affairs committee  The situation is one of crisis in Iraq nowadays, especially what happened through ISIS and the discrimination of women, and how many thousands were being taken captive, especially among the Yazidis and a few Christians. It's a problem with these extremists and how they interpret

Foreign Affairs committee  I think Canada has been involved recently through many visits of its high officials to northern Iraq to encourage this development, especially with winter setting in. Mostly it is about the education of the people, but things are very hard there...how it has been interpreted by t

Foreign Affairs committee  Exactly.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, exactly, there is an urgent need for that, and many church leaders and even many western organizations such as the Red Cross, Caritas, and others are involved there, but there is more urgency. There are certain caravans, and there is a shortage of electricity and food, probl

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman and the standing committee, for allowing me to stand here and give my testimony. I'll begin with a background about Christianity and the people of Iraq and Syria. With respect to culture, the Christians of Iraq are descended from the native people of an